Shirt collar stay



y 8, 1956 Y s. e. PORTIAS' I 2,744,255

sum COLLAR STAY Filed July 22, 1954 United States Patent SHIRT COLLAR STAY Socrates G. Portias, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application July 22, 1954, Serial No. 445,087

1 Claim. (Cl. 2--132) This invention relates to a shirt collar stay and has as its primary object the provision of an attachment for shirt collars of the turn-down type whereby the ridge of the collar will be supported against sagging when worn as is ordinarily occasioned when the collar becomes softened by perspiration.

Another object is to provide a stay of the above character which may be formed of sheet material as a unit and shaped so that it may be applied to either the right or left lapel of a turn-down shirt collar.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with such other objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in the parts and in the combination, construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the stay;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of a turndown collar indicating the stay as applied in dotted lines;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of -a turn down collar with the lapel in an elevated position showing the stay applied thereto;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the and Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawing more specifically A indicates generally a turn-down shirt collar which embodies a neck band 5 and a depending lapel 6 joined to the upper margin of the band 5. An external ridge 7 having an internal crease is formed at the junction of the band and lapel and leads from one end of the collar to the other. The ridge encompasses and lies against the neck or" the person wearing the garment bearing the collar. Ordinarily the collar A is sufliciently stifi to be self supporting being sometimes starched for this purpose, but on being moistened, as by perspiration, it softens and is prone to sag and become deformed in an unsightly fashion.

in carrying out the invention, a demountable stay B is provided, which stay is formed as a unit of thin stiff but pliable non-absorptive sheet material, such as plastic and embodies a thin straight and flat ridge supporting laterally pliable strip 8 adapted to be positioned interiorly of the collar A in the crease at the juncture of the band 5 and lapel 6 with the forward end of the strip disposed ajacent an end of the latter, whereby the strip 8 will underlie and abut the underside of the ridge 7 and extend from the end of the ridge a substantial distance along the length thereof. The strip 8 is rigid and unbendable in the direction of its width but is pliable in the direction of its length so that it may be readily bent to conform to the curvature of the collar. Formed on the lower margin of the strip 8 is an elongated tongue 9 which preferably extends in angular relation to the strip 8 the tongue projecting on a plane with the strip line 4 4 of Fig. 3,

. the collar ridge.

Fee

obliquely downward and forward from a point intermediate the ends of the strip and terminating contiguous a plane extending from the forward end of the strip perpendicular to the upper margin of the latter. By this arrangement the strip B is formed with an elongated forwardly extending portion leading from the base of the tongue which terminates on a plane extending contiguous the end of the tongue, which end portion in effect constitutes a cantilever bracket for supporting the end of the collar ridge. The tongue 9 is designed to be detachably mounted on the inner side of the lapel 6 to underlie the latter and serve the double purpose of reinforcing the lapel and supporting the strip 8 in a seated position against the underside of the ridge 7. Manifestly the tongue 9 may be supported on the lapel in various fashions but is here shown as engaged in a pocket 10 formed on the other side of the lapel, the pocket having an open upper end through which the tongue 9 may be inserted and removed.

In the application and operation of the invention a pair of the stays B is provided and a stay applied to each end of the collar lapel with the stay positioned on the under side of the lapel and with the strip 8 disposed to underlie the ridge 7 with its forward end disposed adjacent the end of the collar as shown.

When the stay B is thus positioned on the lapel the tongue 9 will lead thus diagonally upward and rearward from the tip of the lapel and thus act to stiffen the lapel tip and hold it against curling.

The rim of the upper open end of the pocket 10 is arranged to form an abutment for the lower edge of the strip 8 to support the latter in a position with its upper margin abutting the, under side of the ridge 7 through a substantial length thereof extending from the end of The strip 8 will thushe firmly positioned and supported intermediate its ends so as to afford a substantial support for the ridge of the collar such as to hold it in place and prevent sagging thereof as when moistened by perspiration.

I claim:'

A stay for a shirt collar of the type embodying a turn down lapel forming a ridge along its upper margin with a crease on its under side leading from the end of the collar; said stay comprising an elongated strip adapted to be positioned in said crease to underlie'the lapel ridge, said strip having a straight upper margin to extend along the underside of the collar ridge a substantial part of the length thereof in abutting relation thereto, and having an outer end for positioning adjacent the end of the crease, and an integral tongue projecting obliquely downward and forward from the lower margin of said strip intermediate the ends thereof; the outer end portion of said strip constituting a cantilever like elongated bracket integrally connected with and projecting forwardly from the base of said tongue coplanar therewith; said bracket and tongue having outer ends spaced relative to each other and terminating on a plane extending substantially perpendicular to the straight upper margin of said strip so that the outer end of said bracket will be at least nearly vertically aligned with the outer end of said tongue.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,790,341 Deidrick Jan. 27, 1931 2,031,776 Honigsberg Feb. 25, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS 678,481 Germany July 15, 1939 866,181 Germany Feb. 3, 1953 114,263 Australia Dec. 4. 1941 

